A New Beginning
by littledoggy
Summary: Unable to bear the hate circulating in the vile home, Matthew ran away. He meets Andrew on the way, and follows him to Mineral Town, where he hopes to find a better home. Will he succeed? Read and review, please! Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Hello, I'm an amateur writer, so please give me useful comments on this fic. Tell me if I should continue this story. You can either e-mail me (through my profile) or send it in the form of a review. Thanks! (with a big grin)

**A New Life, In A New Town**

" Go out there and stay out!" An angry voice shouted at a small child. The child, a boy, ran out of the house, where a fight was ensuing, and rapidly growing intense, too. "Fine! Maybe I'll find a better place to live than in this madhouse, anyway!" the boy shot back before sprinting away into the darkness. The slamming of the door that he exited through wasn't helping to calm his anger at all.

After running quite some distance from his miserable home, he crouched behind a house. He tried futilely to blink away tears from his eyes. Tears started to fall down his dirt-covered face. He dried them with the back of his hand, making his face even dirtier. Finally, his exhaustion took the better of him and he drifted off to sleep.

" Wake up, boy. What are you doing here, a young lad like you?" a pleasant voice said, while its owner shook him awake. " H-Huh? What?" the boy mumbled groggily. His eyes shot open as soon as he caught sight of the person before him. He backed away until he could feel a wall, blocking his escape route. " What do you want?" he asked warily. The man laughed. " Want? I wanted nothing from you, and I certainly won't want anything now." The boy relaxed slightly while maintaining his wary glance on the man.

At first glance, the man looked rather intimidating, which is most probably the reason for the younger boy's shock. At closer inspection, one will realize that this man is not scary in the least, despite his beard, which was growing white. He wore a farmer's outfit, complete with overalls. " What's your name, boy?"

" Matthew. Just call me Matt." The boy was beginning to lose his hostile look. "And you?" he asked, surprising himself and the older man. " Me?" the man asked. " If that's not asking too much," Matt hastily added. " Oh, don't you worry lad. There's nothing wrong with being curious. Just exercise it, OK? Don't let it get you into trouble." The man said, resuming his pleasant tone. " By the way, I'm Andrew."

" Hi." Matt said automatically. " Where am I?" he asked curiously, scanning the surroundings. " We're in a town at the moment. Should I escort you home?" Andrew said kindly. Matt's relaxing shoulders tightened again and his offer. His eyes looked bloodshot. " N-No, don't send me back! They'll kill me, they swore they would if I ever went back. Please, anywhere but there!" he shrieked frantically, getting up and preparing to run away again.

Andrew caught his arm. Matt tried to pry his arm away, but it was useless, for the older man had an iron grip surprisingly strong for his ripe age. Realizing that he efforts were useless, he stopped struggling and stood still. " Please don't send me back," he begged. Andrew took pity on him. " Alright lad. Come along with me now." " Where to?" the boy whimpered. " Just to the port. I'm leaving soon for my hometown and anyway you can't lie down here all day, you know." He reassured the agitated boy. Matt calmed down. "Okay, may I follow you home? Only -" he broke off, then continued, "- only I don't have a home to go back to." Andrew nodded sympathetically. " You can come with me, lad. I'll arrange something when we get back to my hometown."

At the dock….

" Here we are, lad. The port of Bejeweled City." Andrew said. " Whoa," Matt exclaimed, at a loss for words. Huge ships were at the port. Some were so huge that Matt would certainly look no bigger, and perhaps tinier, than an ant if a person happened to look down from the ship.

_POOT!POOOT!_ Matt nearly jumped out of his skin. " Relax, Matt. That's only the ship signaling that she'll be off soon to cross the huge sea." Andrew tried to soothe the child. Matt looked visibly shaken but managed to give Andrew a small smile. "Where's our ship?" he enquired.

" Ah, the ship. There it is, over there." Andrew pointed somewhere at the end of the dock. Matt was disappointed; the ship was much smaller in comparison to all the other large ships. They completely dwarf her in their midst. " Shall we go?" Matt asked, determined to hide his disappointment.

" Yes, come on now, lad. We have to buy a ticket for you before you can board her." Andrew said. "What's a ticket?" Matt asked, his overactive mind crammed with questions he wanted to ask. " My, my, what an active child. Here -" the old man showed him something flat made out of plain cardboard. There were some words on it that were too complicated for the young mind to understand. "- this is a ticket. Using this, we can board the ship to go back to my home in Mineral Town." Andrew said, his mind far away in the distance most probably thinking about his beloved homeland, untouched by pollution and advanced technology.

Matt gazed up to Andrew's face. The old man's face was full of wrinkles, yet he seemed to grow years younger when he smiled or was recalling blissful memories, like he was doing now.

" Are you boarding this ship, sir?" a porter asked respectfully. Andrew was jolted out of his daydream with an unpleasant jolt. " Huh? Oh, yes, but I need a ticket for the boy, Here's mine." He handed over the piece of cardboard which the latter examined. After a moment, the porter nodded. " Get on board, then. Oh, and it's 1500G for the child's ticket." Andrew handed him a few notes and said," on board then!" Matt cheered happily and skipped up the plank.

On the ship….

" Do you like the view?" Andrew whispered into Matt's ear. They were standing on the deck, preferring to feel the rush of the wind on their faces than being cozy and warm inside the ship. Matt nodded happily. The seagulls that fly overhead amused him no end, especially when they dive down for a catch. There will be a squabble among the birds to eat the prey. They caw and shriek angrily when one of them appears the winner and swallows the catch down in one gulp. Then the whole process will repeat itself. Again, again and again, never ending until the brink of extinction. Matt hoped that it would never be so, and continue till the end of time.

" Passengers alighting at Mineral Beach, please get ready now. We shall reach in approximately five minutes," a voice rang clear and loud through loudspeakers placed on the ship. " Come on. We'll go to our new home." Andrew said proudly. " The beautiful Mineral Town." _Our new home…_Matt thought happily as they descend from the ship feeling the last of the refreshing breeze that raced past the great ship as she continued on her journey. _Finally, a home I might come to love._

………………………………………………………………………………………….

So how was it? Not too bad, I hope. Send in reviews, give me some feedback! Come on now. Surely you more experienced people out there are willing to help younger and less experienced ones. ( pretends to pout.) Just joking, guys!


	2. Chapter 2

Hmm...only a single review. If I don't achieve at least three reviews by Chapter 3, I might as well stop.

On to the next chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harvest Moon. Any original characters are mine, however.

**New Friends**

LAST EPISODE:

Matthew was a very miserable boy, and he ran away from home when he couldn't take his parents' comments anymore. Waking up in the morning, he finds Andrew, an old farmer who is about to leave for his hometown: Mineral Town.

PS: I'll start calling him Matt from now on, it's too bothersome to type his full name all

all the time, okay?

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A group of people awaited the arrival of the ship at the pier of Mineral Town. "Where is he?" someone asked. " I hope that he'll return safe and sound." Another said.

" Pooh, always thinking negatively. Of course the ship will arrive safely, the weather's fine and there's no disasters like jutting rocks or icebergs, right?" Karen muttered. Her long, glossy hair grew almost to the hips and her brown eyes suited her perfectly. She was, in short, very attractive even at such a young age.

"Yes, that's true. But its not really often that one of us travels far away from Mineral Town. Of course they'll be concerned." Ann reasoned. The most tomboyish of the five girls, she wore blue overalls over a plain blouse. Her straw-coloured hair was braided neatly.

" Yay, Uncle Andrew's coming home!" Popuri cheered. " I hope he bought something for me." She was quite cute with huge brown eyes. Not to mention shocking bubblegum-pink hair. Elli giggled. She was, by far, the quietest of the lot. She kept her golden hair short and wore a plain blue dress, somewhat similar to a nurse's attire, minus the apron.

" I hope he bought me a book. I just want to read one!" a timid girl mumbled, all the while looking anxiously out to sea. Mary was a bookworm, an avid reader of books. Her brown hair fell below her shoulders making her appear more like a little mouse than ever. The five children stood close together, clasping each other's hands. Truly, their bond was strong, even at the tender age of five.

" Look, he's here!" Anna, Mary's mother, suddenly said while pointing towards a fast approaching figure, just getting off the ship. " But who's that beside him?" This question caused mumbles and whispers to arise among them. " Hush now. We'll ask him when we have the opportunity." Sasha motioned for them to be silent. The heavy whispering and mutterings stopped abruptly, and all were silent when the old farmer came among them. There were several 'ooh' and 'aah' as they locked their stares on the child beside him. " You would think that they never saw a child before, judging by their reactions," Karen whispered to Ann, who hurriedly stifled a laugh. "I think he's handsome," Elli piped up unexpectedly. All four girls gave her incredulous looks. Elli took a step backwards, tripped, and fell down. "Well, he is," she muttered as she rubbed her sore bottom. Karen, Ann, Popuri and Mary giggled helplessly. Elli turned a violent shade of red.

" My, what an adorable child! Where did you find him, Andrew?" Manna asked, always all ears for any piece of juicy gossip. Andrew raised his eyebrows and looked down at Matt. Matt cowered behind him, intimidated by the stares for more approximately twenty sets of eyes. " Him?" The entire village nodded. Andrew looked surprised at their curiousness.

" My, your teamwork is amazing. You even nodded your heads precisely at the same moment!" he joked.

"Well, Andrew? Are you going to tell us who he is?" the Mayor demanded. He was a plump man with a huge moustache. He also wore a red top hat to go along with his red coat (whose buttons seem close to bursting) and trousers. A pair of spectacles lay on his nose.

Andrew pondered his answer for a moment; the villagers were almost bursting with curiosity and impatience by then. " He's Matthew. I found him behind a huge bungalow fast asleep. It appears that he couldn't stand his parents' torments, so he ran away." An uncomfortable silence reigned.

" Well, hello then, Matthew. Welcome to Mineral Town," the Mayor said rather awkwardly, breaking the silence. Any uncertain thoughts from the villagers vanished in the blink of an eye as their mouths turned upwards to form warm smiles.

" Welcome, Matthew. I hope you'll enjoy staying here." Barley smiled. He was well into his forties, with a head of hair that were turning white at the scalp. Like the Mayor, he had a pair of spectacles resting on the bridge of his nose.

"Speaking of staying, where is he going to stay, Andrew?" Duke asked. His daughter stood beside him, a teenage girl who much resembled her mother, except with jet-black hair. She stood as tall as him as she smiled down at the shy child behind the farmer.

Andrew's normally clear forehead furrowed for a moment. " Well, I haven't really thought it out yet. I was thinking of ringing up my son and his wife to see if he could keep Matthew –Matt for short- and send him to school as well as other things. In short, be his parents, or at least his guardians."

The Mayor approved of his choice. So did most of the villagers. They crowded around Andrew and started discussing. Meanwhile, Matt managed to slip away from the crowd and was now standing alone, quite lonely.

" Hi there!" Matt flinched. " Oops, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," Popuri said. She smiled. Matt smiled too then glanced at her friends. He looked at them questioningly. " I'm Popuri, and these are my friends, Karen, Ann, Mary and Elli." She answered his questioning gaze, pointing to each respective girl in turn. Matt smiled shyly. "Hi Matthew!" All five chorused.

"Just call me Matt."

"Come on, let's play!" Ann said, in the mood to play.

"Yes! Come on, Matt," the others urged. Matt accepted and the six ran all the way to Rose Square to play. Rick, Popuri's brother looked at them wistfully but they ignored him anyway.

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"When are you going to contact him? Lawrence is such a responsible kid, he's sure to accept." Jeff asked.

"I'll see. It's the summer holidays in town, so I thought that maybe he could, you know, stay here and mix around a bit. He looks rather lonely." Andrew voiced out his opinion. The Mayor agreed heartily, as did majority of the villagers.

"At least my Ann can do something other than emptying the kitchen," Doug said half jokingly. Several villagers laughed softly at the comment.

"So it's decided then. Little Matthew shall stay here with Andrew until Lawrence or Nora can be contacted." The Mayor declared. Smiles lit up the villagers' faces. It was weird, yet touching, how the little boy managed to find a place in their hearts in the short moment since he set foot on the sandy beach of Mineral Town.

"I'll make some delicious, scrumptious sandwiches for him when he decides to come round sometime, perhaps to play with my daughter. She's getting really mischievous these days," a pretty woman with long hair sighed. Despite her long hair, she looked and acted like a tomboy. She even wore boy's clothes! Guess who she is…you guessed right, she's Ann's mom. (I decided to keep her alive for now.)

"No way! I'll invite him to come over first. Chocolate cookies happen to be my specialty, and I haven't met a single child who dislikes chocolate so far, so too bad Lesley!" Sasha taunted. Anna shook her head in a stately manner.

"No, he'll come to me first! Every child should read as much as they can to gain knowledge, and Matthew is no exception. So he should stop by every day to read the books in my house." The remaining wives, Lillia and Eve, Popuri and Elli's moms respectively, wisely kept silent. Sasha, Lesley and Anna glared at each other and started throwing heated comments at each other.

"Calm down, all of you!" the Mayor yelled, to no avail. If possible, the racket seemed to grow louder by each passing second. "Women," he muttered, resigning himself and allowing the gentlemen to confront their respective wives.

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"Come on, let's play!" Ann repeated.

"Um, all right." Matt answered shyly. "What are we going to play?"

"Ring-a-ring-of-roses!" Popuri chanted while dancing in circles holding an invisible person's hand.

"How childish." Karen smirked.

Popuri looked hurt. "Does it matter?" she said, her chocolate-brown eyes showed deep hurt.

"Of course it doesn't matter, after all, we're still kids, right?" Ann consoled her. Popuri brightened up and agreed.

"I don't know, I just want to read." Mary mumbled and began to back away from the group. Matt saw her go.

"Wait, don't go. Don't you want to play?" he blurted out, much to the surprise of everyone present. "Well, it didn't seem fair to exclude her," Matt muttered, turning a light shade of pink. Karen jeered at him while Mary looked at him appreciatively. " I-I have to go now. Bye!" he stammered and quickly retraced his steps back to the beach.

"See? Now you've scared him away. Good going, Karen." he heard one of them saying distantly. Karen's angry retort was lost to him as he sped down the steps breathlessly and saw the crowd talking. A few women seemed to be fighting verbally. The men tried to calm them down, but all they achieved was to anger the women all the more. As he watched, the crowd backed away several paces.

He walked towards Andrew, afraid. Will they dump him somewhere simply because he was a nuisance? Sasha, Lesley and Anna pounced on him as soon as came into their range of view. "You'll spend some time with us, right?" all three demanded. This scared Matt even more, and he was driven to the verge of tears.

"Come now ladies. Can't you see that you're just scaring the boy? Leave him alone." Andrew pointed out. They glared at him but changed their tactics. "You'll come with me right? Auntie Sasha has chocolate cookies for you at home," Sasha smiled sweetly. "Why don't you come along and read books with Mary? I'm sure you'll like it," Anna offered. "All those are girly stuff to do. Why don't you stop by the Inn one day and do much more boyish things? Ann can climb trees almost as well as any boy," Lesley said with a touch of pride.

"Can I go with you, Uncle Andrew? They're scary," Matt whimpered as he tugged at the old farmer's overalls. Andrew patted him on the head comfortingly. "Sure thing lad. Come on now."

The women looked at the duo's departing back wistfully. "Too bad. I hoped to have him come around sometime. Oh well." Sasha sighed.

"This is all because of you!" Eve retorted. Sasha glared at her.

"_ME_?"

"Yes. You!" Anna said defiantly. Both housewives glared daggers at each other. Lillia looked towards Matt. He was holding Andrew's hand, looking at home beside him. It seemed to fit the picture. "Those two seem to be made for each other," she declared. Eve agreed.

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"Aww, must I sleep now?" Matt whined.

Andrew nodded firmly. "Yes. You'll have to be up at sunrise. 6 o'clock, to be precise."

"Why?" Matt asked curiously.

"Because farmers like me have to get up early to start work. There's no end of things to do when you're a farmer. Once we get up, there's a lot of things to do that keeps me busy all day long."

"Oh." Matt was silent after that. Andrew sighed and stood up. "Well, goodnight Matt." Hearing no answer, he turned around. Matt was already asleep, his chest rising and falling rhythmically with his breathing. His features were relaxed and he looked truly peaceful as he entered the enticing world of dreams. Andrew looked at him fondly and lay down beside him to sleep.

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Hi! Did you enjoy it? Down to announcements….

I would like to thank **Dark Nemesis 7** for reviewing. So far, this was my first review. I hope more people will review to at least give me an idea on my story's rating.

Starting from now, I shall state the pen names of whoever who reviewed for this story.

Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harvest Moon. Any original characters are mine, however.

**Having Fun**

Matt woke up groggily to the pleasant sound of birds chirping as well as the livestock. Cows and sheep mooed and baaed as they waited to be fed and brushed. Frisky, the farm dog, was barking at stray chickens, which clucked indignantly at being ordered about by a dog.

"Good morning Matt. Had a nice nap?" Andrew inquired.

"Hmm? Yawn…" Matt yawned widely and rubbed his sleepy eyes. His hair was messy and stuck out all over the place. "Good morning Uncle Andrew."

Andrew chuckled. "Best to be up early in the morning when Mother Nature is just waking up from her slumber than be a sleepyhead and miss all the joys Nature can offer. Get dressed and I'll show you around my farm."

Matt's eyes grew wide. "_REALLY_?" he exclaimed and hastened off to dress.

"Kids." Andrew shook his head.

….

"Whoa."

"Star's a beauty, isn't she?" Andrew said fondly as he patted the horse's back.

"Fancy a ride on her? Bareback, of course. Makes it more of a challenge."

Matt looked at the huge beast in awe. She could easily be five times his height. "Ride her?"

Andrew nodded. "Sure. If you want to, that is."

Matt's face spread into a big smile. "Of course I'd want to! Would Star mind taking both of us on her back?"

The old farmer dismissed the question.

"What a question! She's a farm horse, lad. Raised by me since she was weaned, no less. She's one of the strongest horses in the region. Not to mention the fastest, too," he said with a touch of pride.

"Come here, Matt. I'll lend you a hand." Andrew carried the boy and hoisted him onto Star's broad back. Matt gripped the horse's mane, sitting there unsteadily. The horse neighed and Matt nearly jumped out of his skin in fright. Andrew laughed loudly at Matt's antics.

"Scared of a horse neighing! Now that's something I've never heard before," he said between laughs. Matt turned red at this remark. Andrew noticed his downcast appearance.

"Don't get offended now. It's my nature to play jokes, you know. Come on, I'll give you a tour of Holly Farm. I think you'll like it."

….

Two hours later, Andrew had finished showing the younger kid around the farm. Andrew laughed softly to himself when he recalled the moments Matt was among the chickens. He was playing around with one that had escaped from the coop, scaring it almost out of its wits. Without warning, the whole flock of Andrew's chickens had flown around him and chased him quite some distance, too. Matt had screamed and hid behind Andrew's back.

Frisky had been a great sport. He had participated readily in a race against Matt. He won, of course. His amazing speed was demonstrated every time he managed to outrun the ball Matt threw. He would run ahead of the airborne ball, open his jaws wide and _SNAP! _The ball was lodged firmly in Frisky's jaws. Matt's reaction to this the first time he saw it sent Andrew into peals of laughter.

There was Milky, the cow, too. Matt had had tried to ride her as he did Star. He had clumsily clambered onto her and sat on her back proudly for a second before Milky had made up her mind to move. Matt had fallen to the barn floor with a nasty _BUMP!_ Hearing the sound, the cow had turned around to look at Matt. Her soft brown eyes seemed to ask 'What happened?' Matt stuck out his tongue at the poor animal and ran off to check out the sheep. Poor Milky!

After the incident with Milky, there was a brief fright in store for Andrew, who suddenly realized that Matt was nowhere to be found. He had searched frantically everywhere around the farm, but Matt was not to be found. His dog had helped, too. Frisky came up to him and gently tugged at his master's overalls. The loyal dog led the old man into the barn. Andrew was puzzled. Hadn't he searched there already?

Frisky tugged impatiently at Andrew's overalls. Andrew followed his dog until he was in the midst of his sheep, which were lying down in a group. Frisky ploughed through the masses of wool until he reached the middle of the resting sheep. There, Andrew spotted Matt curled up against Wooly, Andrew's award-winning sheep. Andrew let out a sigh of relief and carefully carried the boy indoors to rest.

Matt woke up a short while later, rubbing his sleepy eyes. "What time is it, Uncle Andrew?" he yawned. Then he looked around. There was no one else in sight. "Uncle Andrew?"

He hurried outside after folding the blankets and grabbing a biscuit as a snack. A joyful bark and dozens of wet licks all over his face greeted him when he opened the door. "Oof!" was all he managed to say before the dog leaped at him, causing him to fall down.

"Hey Matt! Wanna play with me?" a bright voice enquired. Matt looked up beneath Frisky and saw Popuri looking down at him.

Matt groaned and tried to push the dog off. The dog refused to budge and resumed licking the boy. "Hahaha! It tickles! Get off, Frisky!" he squealed. Popuri giggled.

"Are you going to play with me or not?" Popuri repeated her question a little impatiently.

"Sure, whatever you say, Popuri," he answered hastily and scrambled up. With help from the girl, he managed to stand upright. Frisky howled mournfully and pawed at Matt's legs. "Later, Frisky." He comforted the dog. "Can I tell Uncle Andrew first?" he asked Popuri.

"Sure!"

Matt ran off to find the old farmer. He found him behind a haystack, using a pitchfork to toss fodder into the cows' feedboxes. "Uncle Andrew," he began. Andrew turned around to face him.

"Yes?"

"Could I play with Popuri?"

Andrew nodded. "Sure. Run off now. Have fun!"

Matt grinned happily. "Thanks Uncle Andrew! Bye!" With that, he ran back to where Popuri stood waiting, tapping her foot.

"Well? Can you go?" she asked eagerly as soon as he appeared. Matt nodded happily. The latter's face split into a huge grin. "Let's go!" she squealed.

….

"Here we are, Matt. Welcome to the Goddess Pond." Popuri declared. Matt gaped at the scene. He was standing on a large field of lush green grass. A lake filled with crystal-clear water lay before him, fed by the waterfall crashing down from a tremendous roar, blending harmoniously with the water below. "Matt? Helllooo! Back to earth with Matt!" Popuri called, waving a hand in front of Matt's face, whose mouth was agape, fascinated by the beautiful scenery around him.

"H-Huh? What's going on?" he asked blankly. Popuri giggled.

"Heehee! Nothing's going on, Matt. We're here to play, remember?"

"Oh, right. What are we going to play?"

"That's right, I haven't thought about it yet. Hmm…." Popuri pondered.

Meanwhile, Matt looked over to the enclosed area where a lot of steam rose. Being the curious child he is, he wandered over to the enclosure. It was entirely surrounded by a tall fence except for a small opening facing the lake. Mystified, he extended a finger to touch the weird looking mist that hung heavy on the surface of a liquid.

"Hothothothot!" he yelped, shaking his finger.

_SPLASH. _

The moment he started shaking his hand, he had lost his footing on the rather slippery rock. He struggled to swim back to the side of this weird place full of hot water and steam. _Lucky I learned how to swim on my own back in Kingstown,_ he thought.

Popuri ran towards the Hot Springs when she heard a loud splash and also when she realized that her companion was no longer in sight. She laughed loudly at the funny sight of the splashing boy in the water. "H-How d-di-d y-you ge-et in t-t-the-re?" she said between giggles as Matt hoisted himself onto the rock and scrambled over it, lying down on the firm ground.

"Fell in," he muttered gruffly, wringing his clothes and hair in the hopes of squeezing water out of them. "Why didn't you – tell – me t-that the water – was h-hot?" he shot at the giggling Popuri, shivering uncomfortably now he was out of the water.

"I thought it was funny," Popuri stuttered between giggles. Matt glared at her angrily before turning his back towards her to resume drying his drenched clothes. "I'm sorry!" she squeaked, cowering under Matt's glare.

Matt was shivering uncontrollably now. The wind had risen while the two children had talked, and it was howling around them like a predator hunting its prey. And Matt was its main target. "I-It's c-c-ol-ld h-here-e." he said between chattering teeth.

Popuri took pity on the small boy. "Come on, let's go to my place. Maybe Mom has some suitable clothes for you. Rick's cast-offs, maybe." She muttered thoughtfully. _I wouldn't like wearing anything of his._

Still shivering, Mat nodded and followed Popuri down the steps, past the Woodcutter's house and down the lane. The sound the chicken's clucking greeted them as they neared the farm.

"Why are you all wet?" a boy wearing a bandanna around his head and a pair of spectacles asked disdainfully as he looked at Matt. He clearly didn't like him.

"He fell into the hot spring. So back off, Rick." Popuri retorted. Rick stared at her before laughing in scorn.

"He _fell?_" he repeated, tears coming into his eyes as a result of uncontrollable laughter. His sister ignored him and held Matt's hand, pulling him into the house.

"Come on, Matt. He's not worth listening to."

"_HEY_! I heard that!" her brother shouted angrily through the now shut door of the house. Rick grumbled incoherently and stamped off to visit his darling chickens.

"My, my. Now whom do we have here? Little Matt, is it?" a woman with shocking-pink hair not unlike Popuri's asked pleasantly. Matt took an instant liking to this woman. She wore a plain dress and had her hair tied up in two ponytails.

Popuri smiled widely and pointed at Matt, who was engrossed in staring at Popuri's mother. "Hi Mom! Matt fell into the hot spring; can you find some clothes for him? He's wet."

Lillia glanced at Matt, from his flushed face to the puddle of water collected beneath him as a result of his wet clothes. "Follow me, Matt. I'll give you a towel to dry yourself while I find some dry clothes for you." Matt agreed heartily and followed her eagerly upstairs. There, she rummaged about in a closet and foraged for clothes for Matt.

"Eh? What's this?" she frowned. A small smile played on her lips as she replaced whatever she took and continued her hunt for clothes. Finally, she produced a shirt, a pair of shorts and other things Matt needed. They were in good condition, albeit the faded colour. "Will this do?"

"Thanks, Aunt…I'm sorry, but I do not know your name," Matt explained embarrassedly. Lillia smiled reassuringly.

"It's okay. I'm Lillia, by the way."

"Thanks Aunt Lillia! Where do I change?"

"Just change in here. I'll go out. Call me when you are done, okay?"

Matt nodded. Lillia walked out of the room and shut the door gently. Matt wasted no time in changing his clothes into the dry, more comfortable ones Lillia handed to him. Once finished, he knocked lightly on the door.

"I'm done," he said. Lillia heard him and opened the door.

"You sure change quickly," she said in a pleasant tone. "Now go downstairs. I'm sure Popuri would love to play with you."

Matt hurried down the stairs of the double-storied building, careful not to fall down. "Hey Popuri! Are you still there?" he shouted.

Popuri brightened up. "Oh, are you done already? Then let's play!"

Matt shook his head. He didn't like to disappoint the girl, his first friend for ages, yet he didn't have a choice. Popuri seemed close to tears.

"Why? Don't you like to play with me?" she sobbed.

Matt looked awkward. "No! I mean, yes, I do like playing with you, but it's raining outside. Are you sure you want to play in the rain?" he pointed out.

Popuri looked out of the window by climbing on a high stool. "You're right," she said, surprised. "What shall we do now?" she sighed. "We're stuck here in this house with nothing to do. I could die of boredom!"

"Well, I would like you to answer some questions, if you don't mind."

"Popuri, it's lunch time!" Lillia called from the kitchen.

"Coming Mom! Later, okay?" she told Matt. Matt shrugged and followed her to the kitchen.

"There's omelet today. Do you want some, Matt?" the woman enquired. Matt nodded. The aroma coming from the cooked eggs smelled wonderful. Matt licked his lips hungrily.

Lillia laughed. "I guess you do. Tuck in." With that, she heaped a generous amount of omelets onto a plate and handed it to Matt. Popuri's mouth watered.

"Why don't I have some too?" she pouted. Lillia laughed pleasantly and handed her a plate full of omelets.

"There. Happy now?" Popuri nodded, her mouth already stuffed full of omelet.

"Ish very nishe!" she said with her mouth full. Bits of egg sprayed over the table. Lillia looked at her daughter in disgust while Matt continued enjoying his omelet and pretended not to notice.

"Popuri! What did I tell you about talking with your mouth full?" she reprimanded Popuri. Popuri bowed her head and opened her mouth to speak.

"Talk after you swallow, dear," Lillia added hastily.

Popuri swallowed her food in too much of a hurry, proceeded to talk, and choked on her food. Matt looked at her in alarm.

"_Popuri!_" her mother cried out, distressed. She patted Popuri's back until Popuri stopped choking. "Now see what happened. Don't talk with your mouth full again, please."

"Yes Mom," Popuri said meekly. Lillia sighed in relief and turned towards Matt, who had cleaned his plate during the moment of panic between the mother and daughter.

"Finished already?" Lillia exclaimed, surprised. Matt nodded and walked over to the sink to wash his plate. "No, no. Let me do that." Lillia took the plate out of Matt's hands and placed them in the sink to clean later.

"Aunt Lillia?"

"Just call me Lillia, dear."

"Okay. But isn't it disrespectful?" Matt asked, frowning.

Lillia smiled. "It's okay. Everyone calls me by name here, with the exception of Rick and Popuri. You've seen Rick, I presume? The boy with messy straw coloured hair with a bandanna around his head and wearing spectacles?"

Matt nodded distastefully. "Yes, I met him outside earlier."

Lillia's face fell. "Don't you like him?" she asked mournfully.

"Not really." Matt confessed. "Who's their father?"

Lillia looked away from him. Matt was alarmed to see tears brimming in her eyes. He climbed down from the chair he was sitting on and clambered onto her lap.

A small finger wiped away the lone tear that fell down her face. Lillia looked down in surprise. Matt had climbed onto her lap without her noticing and had wiped the tear away. Now, he placed his arms round the woman and hugged her.

"Don't cry, Lillia. I'm sorry," he wailed. Lillia patted his head.

"It's all right. It's nothing really…. my husband went out of Mineral Town to do some business outside. In a place called the Bejeweled City. It was rumoured to be a beautiful place," she said, imagining.

"Bejeweled City?" Matt asked. He had been there before, he knew.

"Yes. He has been there for two months now. During that time, I never heard from him." She whispered sadly. Matt reached out to touch her face. She was surprised.

"Never mind, Lillia. Popuri and I are here," he tried to comfort her. Lillia laughed softly. A smile spread on her face.

"Yes, you're right." She wiped the remaining tears away and stood up. Matt fell to the floor, unprepared for the fall. He quickly stood up on his feet beside Lillia.

"The rain has stopped," she observed. Matt tried to look out too, but saw nothing except for brown wood. Lillia carried him up onto the windowsill where he could see the weather.

"So it has," he said, surprised.

"Yay! Let's go and play now, Matt!" Popuri exclaimed happily. "Go and play, go and play, go and play…." She chanted.

"Wow, a rainbow!" Matt stared blissfully at the seven-coloured arch that seemed to stretch to the end of the world. Popuri stopped her chanting and came over to look. Lillia came over as well to see the beautiful scene.

"A rainbow. And a beautiful one at that," she said, smiling happily. Popuri nodded and pulled Matt's arm.

"Let's see it outside! I'm sure it'll be much more beautiful from there!" she said confidently.

"Wha – whoa!" Matt exclaimed as he lost his balance and began to fall down. Lillia caught him just in the nick of time. Matt was breathless at the near escape.

"Don't do that. Popuri! Matt could have been hurt!" Lillia cried exasperatedly.

"I'm sorry, Matt! I didn't mean to," Popuri whimpered, staring into Matt's face, which was pale from fright. Matt shook his head.

"It's okay. You wanted to go out, right?" he asked shakily. "Let's go."

Popuri nodded and led him out of the front door. Lillia shook her head, amused. "What a pair."

"Why are you wearing _my _clothes, Matt?" Rick asked accusingly.

"I, uh," Matt stammered.

"He was wet so Mom dressed him up in your old clothes," Popuri said sourly as she stood behind Matt.

"But why? I could still wear them!" Rick argued.

"Now, now. What's the cause of the commotion here?" Lillia asked, coming out from the hall. Rick scowled.

"Mom! Why did you dress this jerk up in my clothes?" he yelled. Lillia flinched.

"You couldn't wear them anyway." Popuri stuck out her tongue. Rick stuck his tongue out too.

"Whatever. Why do you have a picture of Karen in your cupboard, Rick?" Lillia asked. Rick turned a violent shade of red.

"YOU LOOKED INTO MY CUPBOARD?" he screamed.

"Yes. Most interesting, that picture," Lillia said, keeping her cool. Rick growled and rushed into the house. The remaining three outside heard him climbing up the stairs loudly in a rage. Lillia sighed.

"Well, that's over and done with."

Popuri nodded in agreement.

"Popuri, why don't you show Matt around our chicken farm? I'm sure he'll like it," Lillia suggested. Popuri agreed wholeheartedly.

"Okay! Come on, Matt!" she screamed. Matt followed her, left without a choice since Popuri was dragging him along. Popuri showed him around the farm until the last rays of sun rested in the horizon.

"I have to go now, Popuri." Matt said firmly for the umpteenth time.

"Aww. Don't go," Popuri pleaded.

"But I must. It's late. I don't want Uncle Andrew to worry." Matt said and pulled his arm out of her grasp.

Popuri looked downcast but finally understood. "Okay. I don't want Uncle Andrew to worry either. Bye Matt."

Matt nodded. "Goodbye Popuri, it was fun sight-seeing Poultry Farm."

….

"Well, you're back at last. Had a nice day?" Andrew asked. He had been sitting on a stool outside, smoking his pipe while awaiting the boy's return.

Matt nodded happily. "I had lots of fun today, Uncle Andrew! Popuri showed me around her mother's, uh, Poultry Farm. It was nice."

"Good, because now is your bedtime. Get in, have a bath, eat your dinner then sleep, okay?"

"Okay!" Matt yawned; today had been a long day indeed.

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Hi! I would like to thank **rosebabykiss, DarklightZERO** and **Tiger-Cub684** for reviewing, it is very much appreciated. I'll try to update as soon as possible, okay? Bye now!


	4. Chapter 4

**Cooking Disaster**

"Here, use this duster to clean off any dust from the tables and chairs," Ann instructed a very disgruntled Matt who was standing beside her. He had been dragged out of the farmhouse before he could even grab some breakfast. He could have sworn he heard Andrew laughing at him behind the shut front door as Ann pulled him excitedly to the inn.

"How do I use it?" he asked, staring at the thin stick covered with brown chicken feathers in confusion. Ann stared at him as if he had gone crazy.

"You mean to say that you haven't cleaned a table or a chair with a duster before?" she asked, amazed. Matt shook his head sheepishly. Ann shook her head sadly. Fancy a person not even knowing how to use a duster! She sighed resignedly and decided to teach him how in the hopes of kindling a liking for cleaning. To her it was Heaven. Nothing could beat a big dirty room, lying there for her to clean to her heart's content. Except cooking, of course.

"Here, I'll show you," she mumbled. She plucked the duster out of Matt's hands and demonstrated the right way to dust an object. After ten minutes of drilling, Matt finally mastered the art of cleaning and assisted a happy Ann in cleaning the four rooms of the inn. Her mother, Lesley, cleaned the area downstairs, which was much larger in comparison to the rooms they had to clean. He could not understand why Ann loved cleaning. Cleaning is a girl's job, in his opinion.

After several hours of grueling dusting and sweeping the floors, Matt sat down tiredly on a chair. A very dusty Ann collapsed into another chair beside him. She wore a huge contented smile on her face.

"Isn't that refreshing?" she asked dreamily. "Want to do it again tomorrow?"

Matt was taken aback. Cleaning four giant-sized rooms again? Wait. Did I say taken aback? I mean flabbergasted. Ann chuckled halfheartedly at his expression.

"I guess not. Do you want to go down or do you want to clean some more?" she asked hopefully. Right on cue, Matt's stomach released a loud rumble. He turned red. Ann laughed loudly.

"Let' go down. You can have a bite there."

Matt couldn't agree more as he hastened downstairs to eat.

"Dad! Can you cook up something for Matt? He's hungry," Ann called to her father who was at the counter. Doug gave her a thumbs-up and went into the kitchen to prepare a dish for the famished boy.

….

Matt's mouth watered when he saw the food prepared for him. There were several sandwiches on a plate as well as a slice of delicious looking Cheese Fondue. A glass of water was placed beside the plates. Ann invited him to eat as she tucked into her own food: two pieces of Cheese Fondue and a glass of orange juice.

"Do you like it?" Doug asked pleasantly. Matt nodded as he munched the delicious food happily. The scrumptious sandwiches were generously filled with tomatoes and lettuce while a piece of cheese layered each of the inner side of the bread. As for the Cheese Fondue, the cheese seemed to explode in his mouth and enhance the taste of cheese. He was practically in Food Heaven. Doug chuckled as he watched Matt devour the food with wolf-like hunger.

"Of course he likes it Dad! Your cooking is the best in Mineral Town! You just want to be praised don't you?" Ann pointed out. Doug glared at his daughter but kept silent. Matt took a glance at the whole situation and continued cleaning his plate.

Silence ensued as both children ate their fill of food. Doug walked off to serve customers who have entered the inn. As Matt was chewing the last morsel of food, Ann thought up a bright idea.

"Hey Matt, do you want to cook?" she asked innocently. Matt was startled at this sudden question and began to choke. Ann was distressed. She rushed to Matt side and hurriedly began to pat his back. It passed after a few moments. Matt was left gasping for air and he hurriedly gulped down a mouthful of water. Ann looked relieved that the choking part was over and done with.

"So do you want to cook?" Ann repeated her question. Matt was uncertain. What if they demolished the kitchen? Still, Ann didn't have any doubts about that.

"All right," he said reluctantly, giving way under Ann's pleading look. Ann cheered happily and ran off to find Doug.

"Ann, don't run on the slippery floor! I just mopped it!" Lesley called. Too late. Ann had stepped on a slippery part on the floor and fell down with a nasty _BUMP!_ Matt stared for a moment before rushing to her side to help her up. Her mother got there first.

"Really, Ann! I have just warned you about the slippery floor, and there you go skipping on it! Of course you'll fall!" Lesley said exasperatedly. Ann looked down to her shoes.

"Sorry Mom." She muttered sullenly. Lesley's expression softened.

"I'm not scolding you on purpose. You know that I care for you, don't you? You're my little girl," Lesley said warmly as she hugged Ann. Ann hugged her back.

"Mom?" Ann asked, pulling out of the hug. Lesley seemed somewhat disappointed but allowed her to move away. "Can Matt and I use the kitchen? We want to cook."

Lesley was concerned, remembering the last time Ann had tried to cook. Her daughter had tried to bake some cookies. It had looked all right until Lesley tasted it. It was very spicy! Under her orders, Ann had shown her the ingredients she had used. To her dismay, Ann had put _pepper_ into the mixture instead of salt!

Ann could guess what was going through her mother's mind. Images of the disastrous cookies flashed across her mind. "Don't worry Mom, I won't add pepper again."

Still Lesley was doubtful. What would she screw up this time? "All right. You can use the kitchen but clean up after you're don okay?" she sighed, frowning. Ann cheered and hugged her mother.

"Thanks Mom, you're the best! Matt, come on, let's go!" she squealed excitedly, pulling Matt along. He had to follow otherwise risk breaking his arm if he tried to pull away.

"I hope there will be no disasters this time," Lesley sighed as soon as the two children were out of sight.

….

"Matt, can you pass me the baking powder?" Ann mumbled as she read the huge cookbook in front of her. Matt was baffled. He had never seen baking powder before. Still, he could read. He reached out for the one spelled 'Baking Powder' that stood on a shelf.

Unfortunately, the box of baking powder to too high for the small boy to reach. He tried in vain to get a hold on the box. Standing on tiptoe, he managed to touch the bottom of the box. He pushed it a little, hoping to get it closer to the edge. The box wobbled dangerously but regained steadiness. Matt continued prodding it. This time he had got too far. The box now wobbled precariously on the edge of the shelf. Without warning, it fell.

_Whoosh._

The entire contents of the box came down softly on Matt, resembling snow. Soon he was covered in white baking powder.

"Ah-choo!" he sneezed. More powder got into his nose and he sneezed even louder. Finally, Ann looked up from the huge book.

"What's taking you so long, Matt? Don't you know what baking powder -" she started but halted when she saw a snow-white Matt standing dismally beside a fallen box of baking powder, sneezing all the while. Ann stared at him for a moment before breaking into hilarious laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha! Matt! Why are you white?" she giggled, her entire body shaking from laughter. Matt scowled and held up the empty box of baking powder. Ann's face fell.

"Oh. So I guess no more baking cakes or cookies," she said sadly. "We could have done baked potatoes, but sweet potatoes only grow in Autumn."

"I'm sorry," Matt blurted out. He hadn't meant to spill the baking powder. He just wasn't tall enough.

"It's okay. Just let me find a recipe that doesn't require baking powder."

So Matt stood aside, trying to brush off the white powder clinging onto his clothes, his hair and his body while Ann flipped page after page of the book in search of the recipe.

"Ah, here it is! Why don't we make corn flakes?" Ann suggested brightly. Matt shrugged; at least he won't be covered in white again. Ann squealed and gave him a quick hug, covering her front in white as well.

"Oops." Ann said, checking her overalls, which were covered in baking powder on the front. "Whatever. We need a rolling pin, an oven and some corn. I would use a knife, but I'm afraid to handle one just yet." She admitted.

Matt nodded and went to the refrigerator to get some corn while Ann got the oven ready. The rolling pin lay ready beside her. Just then, Matt reappeared carrying an armful of corn from the refrigerator.

"Now we can begin," Ann said happily.

….

"What happened?" Lesley cried in distress as she ran into the kitchen. A puff of black smoke greeted her at the door. With a cry, she threw a wet cloth over the burning oven. Ann stood a distance away from the burning oven, too shocked to react.

Lesley continued beating the oven with the cloth. Soon the fire died down. Lesley looked sadly at the piece of charred cloth; that had been her favourite. Now it was spoilt.

"Look what you have done!" she shouted to her daughter, who was cowering at a corner of the kitchen. Ann whimpered.

"I-I sor-ry. W-We just t-tries to m-make some c-corn flakes, b-but it -" Ann stammered. Lesley sighed unhappily.

"Clean the mess up. I'm going to order a new oven. And then no touching the new oven for you, Ann."

Ann cried out in dismay but was silenced by Matt who handed her a cloth. Lesley took one last look at the destroyed kitchen and walked out sadly.

"I didn't mean to," Ann whispered. Several shining droplets of tears found their way down her face. Matt patted her back awkwardly, not knowing what to do. To his utmost surprise, Ann turned around and pulled him into a hug.

"We should be cleaning now," he muttered but let her hang on anyway. After a few moments, Ann moved away from him, still sobbing lightly.

"We should clean up this mess. You clean the floor and I'll clear the table," she said distractedly. Matt nodded and proceeded to get a broom and a dustpan. Ann halfheartedly began to clear away the rolling pin but left out the blackened remains of the oven.

It took the two an entire hour to clean up the mess they made. Matt was exhausted by the time they finished. So was Ann, although she was more dismal not being able to use the new oven.

"I guess I should go home now," Matt said tiredly. Ann nodded and showed him out of the inn. She said goodbye dispiritedly and walked slowly back into the inn. Matt walked home too, rather slowly. His feet ached from standing all day long and his arms hurt from cleaning first the rooms then the kitchen.

….

Matt collapsed thankfully into a chair by the table. "I'm so tired, Uncle Andrew!" he lamented. Andrew chuckled. He had heard about today's disastrous happenings at the inn through the talkative parrot, Manna.

"So get into the bathroom and bathe to get the stickiness off then you can go to bed," he said comfortingly. Matt smiled tiredly and followed the farmer's instructions. In no time at all he was in bed, eating a biscuit as a late snack.

"Goodnight Uncle Andrew," he yawned and dozed off to sleep almost immediately. "Today had been as interesting as yesterday," he mumbled. Andrew heard him and grinned to himself.

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Hello! I feel that this chapter isn't up to my expectations…it's worse than I thought. I'll try to make my future chapters better than this, okay? Bye….

I would like to thank **anominus**, **Tiger-Cub684** and **Ksim3000** for reviewing. It means a lot to me.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello, I'm back! (Does that mean anything? Of course not.) Anyways, on to the next chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harvest Moon or its characters. Only Mattand Sandy in this chapter are mine.

….

**A Furry Friend**

"Good morning Uncle Andrew," a soft voice said as its owner knocked on the door. Still yawning, the farmer lumbered up to the door and yanked it open.

"Why Elli! Up so early?" he enquired. Elli smiled shyly and nodded. A ruffled head peeked out behind Uncle Andrew's back.

"Who is it Uncle Andrew? Oh, good morning Elli," Matt greeted as he stretched himself. He clearly had just awakened from sleep.

"Good morning Matt. I heard that you're great fun to be with from Ann and Popuri, so I thought that you might like to play with me as well," she said softly.

Matt cringed when he heard this as his muscles were still sore from an entire day of cleaning. Then again, he would not like to hurt anyone's feelings, especially not a girl. Therefore, he nodded resignedly, fervently praying that today might just be better than the days before. Elli smiled gratefully.

"Why don't you eat breakfast first?" she suggested as she handed him a brown paper bag. Matt looked at it curiously.

"What is it?"

Elli shrugged. "Just some food I prepared for you. I thought you'd like it."

"Oh."

Matt stared at the package then accepted it, giving whatever it contained the benefit of the doubt. _Hopefully it is edible…_.

"Why don't you come inside, Elli?" Andrew invited, throwing the door wide open. Elli went in gratefully. It was rather chilly standing outside in the biting morning wind.

Inside, Matt was debating whether to open the bag or not. Deciding on the latter, he hesitantly opened it, finding several sandwiches wrapped in plastic at the bottom. The brown edges had been neatly cut off. Fresh greens peeked out of the edges, along with scrambled eggs. He licked his lips in delight then stopped in doubt.

"Eat it, Matt," Elli begged. Matt did, after a moment of hesitation. Gingerly, he took a small bite of a sandwich after ripping the wrapper off. He chewed it slowly in his moth.

Elli watched him tentatively. "Well?" she prompted.

Matt's mouth widened into a grin. He swallowed his mouthful of sandwich and turned to face her.

"It's great Elli! Did you do it yourself?"

Elli nodded, embarrassed at being praised. Her face turned a light shade of pink. Andrew laughed loudly when he saw her. The two children stared at him in shock.

"Hey Elli! You look comical when you do that, you know!" he sputtered between laughs. Elli's face turned as red as a beetroot at this. Matt patted her back awkwardly.

"You said you wanted to play, right? Where do you want to go?" Matt asked the red-faced girl in an attempt to stop himself from laughing. He could barely restrain himself as it is.

"W-Why don't we go to the mountain? It will be cool there," she mumbled, her face still retaining its shade of red. Matt nodded and rushed out of the door, hotly followed by Elli, who was hindered somewhat by her dress. The old man followed them to the ancient oak door of the farmhouse, watching their antics from afar. Andrew chuckled some more before going back in to prepare a breakfast for himself.

….

Matt sat down thankfully on a rock, recalling the moments they had had during their ascent up Mother's Hill. Elli had proved to be a very bad mountain climber. She slipped countless times, making big rents in her blue clothes. He chuckled softly as he saw dismay written on her face every time a new tear appeared on her beloved dress.

Elli's brown head of hair appeared as she limbed the last piece of rock to sit by Matt's side. She looked down in dismay at the holes. How was she to mend them? She sighed sadly as she caressed each tear, shaking her head. A cool breeze rushed past. Both children's hair were ruffled by it. Matt enjoyed it immensely and hoped for it to last longer. Of course, being nothing but wind, it disappeared after a final puff that blew their hair everywhere, making them appear to be a pair of children who did not care for their appearance. Beside him, Elli laughed in delight, a sweet tinkling laugh that makes a heart joyful simply by hearing it.

Idly, Matt started picking the wild flowers scattered around the area. They were plentiful. Primroses here, a few moondrops there, as well as the occasional toy flower. Entwining them, he made them into a beautiful flower crown. Yellow, red, pink and white blended harmoniously with the green leaves. The wet dew that still clung onto the delicate petals in the peace of the morning shone brightly whenever placed under rays of sunlight. He gently set the beautiful crown on the girl's head. She looked at him in surprise and touched the garland of flowers on her head gingerly.

"For me?" she asked in surprise. Matt nodded shyly as he watched a butterfly flying around the flowers nearby. It was rather small, with beautiful blue wings patterned with red, a stark contrast to its background. Two dainty antennas stuck out of its head. Upon closer inspection, Matt realized that the butterfly's body was covered in short, fuzzy-looking hairs.

"Don't you like being up here?" Elli sighed contentedly as she lay back on the lush green grass, her crown still intact on her head. A single bird flew overhead, quickly followed by the rest of the flock. Suddenly, the mountain was alive with the noise of animals. The branches swished in rhythm with the blowing wind. All these sounds of Nature brought peace to Matt's heart, for the first time since he arrived in this quaint little village.

"It's so…nice," he gushed as he followed Elli's example and lay down with a soft '_THUMP'_ on the grass. Together, they spent a few hours gazing up at the sky, at the beautiful clouds that floated by.

"Look, there's one that's shaped like a swan!" Matt exclaimed, pointing at the swan-shaped cloud. Indeed, it was similar to one – the swan's fluffy head even had a realistic looking beak on one angle of its misty face. Two puffy extensions of the cloud resembled the swan's two wings, poised for landing.

Elli squealed in delight and reached out towards it, pretending to caress its fluffy sides. She giggled happily. Matt smiled softly at the girl's behaviour.

"You two! What are you doing there?" A rough voice bellowed. Matt and Elli jumped up in fright. A burly man with a wild beard and messy dark brown hair came up to them, frowning deeply. His eyebrows almost hid his angry eyes when he did so.

"Gotz!" Elli squeaked, standing up behind Matt.

"W-We were j-just enjoying t-the s-sights," Matt stammered. Elli nodded fervently beside him.

"You have to be careful when you're up in the mountains. No knowing when it will decide to take your lives," he growled. Matt shuddered, suddenly fearing the height of this beautiful mountain. Elli giggled nervously.

"You're joking right Gotz?"

Gotz was furious. "You may think I am joking, young lady, but you haven't lost your family members to this very mountain, have you?"

Elli shook her head, no.

"Well, I have," he said painfully. "So it is my job to warn others of the danger of these mountains. We can't have young children like you traipsing up here just to fall to your deaths."

_Boy, doesn't he have a negative point of view,_ Matt thought to himself. This thought probably crossed Elli's mind as well, seeing the way she was sulking.

"And who are you, boy?" he thundered, making Matt take a step backwards.

"M-Matt. I'm new here. I live with Uncle Andrew in the farm," Matt blurted out, staring defiantly at him.

Gotz observed him for a moment, taking in his defiant stature and determined eyes approvingly. "So you're the boy the village have been abuzz about?" he finally said. Unsure of what to say, Matt nodded mutely.

"Why are you up here, Gotz? Don't you usually stay near your cabin?" Elli piped up.

"I heard laughter so I came up to investigate."

"Oh." Elli blushed slightly, realizing that Gotz had heard her laughter all the way from the foot of the mountain. Matt looked on blankly.

Suddenly, a high-pitched moan sounded a distance away from the trio. Matt was the first to reach the source of the noise. A small puppy lay on the hard ground, its golden-brown coloured fur matted with dried blood. Matt's heart immediately went out to it and he hastened to its side. The pitiful puppy uttered a soft moan.

"Move away, boy!" Gotz roared as he came along, stamping hard on the ground. Elli followed behind, hindered by her dress, as usual. She was getting pissed off at being left behind all the time.

"This mutt's been hurt. Goodness knows where its parents are," Gotz muttered. He lifted the puppy carefully in his two rough hands. "Don't worry, you'll be fine," he cooed in a soothing voice, unusual coming from him. Both Matt and Elli were too distressed to care at the moment.

The puppy groaned and whimpered, trying, and failing, to wag its tail. Matt came forwards.

"May I touch him?" he asked tentatively. Gotz grunted and held it out to him. Matt ran a hand over its head. The puppy raised its head feebly and licked his hand. Matt giggled softly as he felt the puppy's wet tongue on his fingers.

"Come now, we must bring him to my cabin. If the injury's too serious I'll bring him to the doctor," Gotz said firmly. Reluctantly, Matt ceased his patting and backed away a few steps. The puppy whined piteously and tried to reach out to Matt.

"Why, the mutt likes you!" Gotz exclaimed in surprise. "Come now, let's go to my cabin."

….

Gotz bathed the puppy gently in warm water as two children looked on anxiously. The puppy yelped a few times when Gotz ran his fingers over a part that hurt it. Matt had winced each time and tried to stop Gotz from hurting it any further.

Finally, the puppy was clean and dried with a towel. It appears that aside from a healing gash at its side, it was fine. It stood up weakly after a meal of crushed biscuits and a saucer of milk. Matt sighed in relief when he saw it stand on its own two legs. Rather shakily, it came over to him and started to lick his fingers. Gotz watched this thoughtfully.

"Why don't you keep her?" he suggested suddenly. "She's too young for me to keep, anyway."

Matt looked at him through wide eyes. "_Really?_ I can keep it?" he stammered. The woodcutter nodded.

"Yep, and it's a she. What will her name be?"

"I think I'll call her Sandy."

"That's a nice name," Gotz congratulated as he patted the puppy gently. Elli came over and patted her, too. Sandy seemed to enjoy the attention showered on her and rubbed her head against Matt's legs, earning chuckles from Gotz and giggles from Elli.

"Aww…." She cooed, wishing that _she_ had a pet too. Gotz looked on appraisingly at the way Matt was handling the puppy. The boy had patted the puppy and scratched the back of her ears, which Sandy had enjoyed. Without warning, she turned over onto her back, revealing her underside, which was snow-white. Matt tickled her, and she squirmed and barked happily.

_My very first pet,_ Matt thought happily. He _was_ going to like Mineral Town after all….

….

Umm, I don't know the exact colours of primroses, so forgive me if the colours I stated are wrong.


	6. Chapter 6

**Young Beauty**

"Hey Matt, do you want to follow me to the Supermarket?" Andrew invited, holding the door open. Matt, who was watching Sandy and Frisky play, looked up.

"Sure Uncle Andrew!"

"Come on then."

….

"Hi Andrew. Need anything today?" a man behind the counter asked politely. He was a skinny man, with a black bow under his neck. He wore a white shirt accompanied by black trousers. His hair was black as well. He had a moustache growing too.

"Hello Matt. What can I do for you today?" a sweet voice called from the back of the shop. Matt whirled around only to find Karen appearing from a closed room.

"Oh, hi Karen!" he replied. "I'm here with Uncle Andrew, who wants to buy things for his farm."

"I see. Why don't you come with me? I'm sure you don't want to hear their boring talk."

The true answer was 'yes'; he _did_ want to hear what the two older men were talking about. But still, she was a girl, and could be considered a friend….

He sighed resolutely and followed Karen outside, where she led him to the Goddess Pond. Here she stopped and inhaled deeply.

"Ah, isn't the air nice and cool here?" she said. Matt nodded, feeling the cold air pinch his face.

"I think that the Goddess might appear one day in this pond. That's why I come here," she continued dreamily. Matt nodded again and continued taking in the scene, even though he had been here a mere two days ago.

At that moment, a bird came down and perched on his shoulder. Startled by something gripping his shoulder, he turned around to see….

A single inquisitive eye. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the eye belonged to a bird with blue and white feathers and a red crest. It trilled sweetly before nudging his ear affectionately then flying away to rest on a branch.

"It never did that to me before," Karen said enviously. Matt turned to see her looking at the bird with a hint of jealousy in her brown eyes.

Matt shrugged and gazed at the majestic waterfall, cascading down in torrents into the pool below. Suddenly, the crystal-clear water was distorted by ripples. Matt overlooked it until he heard a shrill cry from the object that fell in. From the corner of his eye, he saw Karen turn sharply in the direction of the object.

The object turned out to be the bird that had perched on Matt's shoulder earlier. It now flapped helplessly as waves of water started to pull it under. Matt could not bear to watch it struggle fruitlessly any longer and dashed to a side of the pool that was nearest to the bird.

He reached out towards the bird. The tips of his fingers were barely an inch away from the avian. Sighing desperately, he stretched out further. He just missed it. Giving it up, he jumped into the pool, on hand still lodged firmly on the edge of the pool. He was surprised to find that the bottom of the pool barely reached his shoulders.

His hand stretched out once more towards the bird. This time, he succeeded. He brought the soaking-wet bird back with him onto dry land, where Karen was waiting anxiously.

"Oh, thank goodness you found it," she gushed as soon as he stood up. Dismally, he shook his head in an attempt to shake off some of the water. The piteous bird lay shivering on his palm, out of danger but still almost paralyzed with cold. The cutting wind was not doing either of them any good.

"I'm going to the farm to change my clothes. I'll f-find something to keep the bird warm," Matt sputtered between chattering teeth. Karen nodded and trailed him back to the farmhouse.

"C-Can you wait here as I change into new c-clothes?" he suggested as he took dry clothes from a wardrobe. "H-Here, take t-the bird."

Karen nodded mutely and received the bird, holding it carefully in her cupped hands. The bird was shivering less violently now that it was in warm hands. Carefully, Karen draped a piece of cloth onto it, hoping to warm it up. It had worked. By the time Matt reappeared from the bathroom, the bird was already fluffing up its feathers to dry it. Soon it was flying in circles around the confined spaces of the farmhouse. Matt grinned happily as he dried his hair with a towel, glad to see that the bird was alive and well.

"Come on, we should go back to the supermarket," Karen spoke up as she stood up from a chair. Matt agreed and followed her. The bird came after them, flying at a distance. When they neared the supermarket, it landed and perched comfortably on Matt's left shoulder. Matt giggled when its soft feathers tickled his cheek.

"Hi Mom, hi Dad!" Karen chirped as she entered the shop. Her father looked up, irritated that his daughter had interrupted his business. Andrew smiled at him.

"Why Matt, is that a bird I see on your shoulder?" he said jovially.

"Yes," Matt admitted happily.

"Well, how did you get it to like you so much in such a short space of time?"

"Matt saved it from drowning," Karen blurted out, unable to restrain herself any longer. "That bird was sitting on a branch when it lost its balance and fell into the pond. Matt had to wade into the pond to get it."

All the grown-ups in the room fell silent at this. Matt felt uncomfortable. Why did she have to tell people, not only one, but an _entire shop_?

"Is it true?" Sasha asked in a hushed tone. Subdued, Matt nodded. All of a sudden, the villagers in the shop seemed to be swarming over him, patting his back, showering praise on him until his face was deep red…. Finally, Andrew saved him by carrying him up into his arms.

"I'm very proud of you, Matt," he whispered softly into the young boy's ear. Matt mumbled something incoherent and squirmed uncomfortably in the old farmer's arms. Chuckling softly, he let Matt down onto the floor, where he was once more bombarded by praise and patting on the back until his ears and back were sore. Karen stood in a corner, away from the hubbub, smirking.

The news of Matt's heroic deed spread like wildfire all over the town, mainly thanks to Manna and her gossip gang. Even more villagers stormed into the farmhouse on the sole reason of praising the pint-sized boy. Matt was red-faced for the remainder of the day.

….

As for the little bird, it had followed Matt faithfully into the supermarket, but it hovered near the ceiling when the villagers crowded around its saviour to shower their praises on him. It trilled sweetly and spied the girl with beautiful brown hair standing aside in a corner. It flew downwards and landed on her head. Karen looked up, startled to feel something touch her head. The bird hopped a few steps and bent down. Karen saw a bluish head with black inquisitive eyes looking down from its perch on her head. She laughed softly and reached out to touch it. With a shocked cry it flew upwards again. Karen sighed sadly before returning her gaze to the amusing scene playing out before her, namely Matt being praised and pushed about by the villagers.

Finally, Andrew had hoisted him into his arms and walked out of the supermarket, followed by quite a number of the villagers until Andrew shooed them away. The bird circled the cramped space in the supermarket one last time before flying out of the door, tailing the embarrassed boy.

Back at the farm, Sandy was still playing with the older, more dignified dog. She playfully leaped up into the air and landed on Frisky, who was asleep. With an angry snarl, he turned around to face the younger canine. Sandy cowered when the older dog towered over her.

She whimpered piteously. Frisky continued growling. How dare a pup disturb his nap! He'll show her who's master on this farm!

"Down, Frisky!" his master ordered from the entrance of the farm. Reluctantly, Frisky obeyed and backed away several steps from the cowering pup, still growling menacingly. Sandy stood up once more, her cockiness returning now that her master was here to protect her. Just to teach her a lesson, Frisky nipped the tip of her tail. She yelped in pain and ran to Andrew's side. Matt then came down from Andrew's arms.

"Hi there Sandy!" he greeted, still rather red after all the praise he received. The puppy leaped up affectionately and licked his hand. He patted her soft furry head gently. Her beautiful plumy tail wagged madly and her eyes sparkled and shone brightly. It was then that Matt noticed that her eyes were a beautiful sapphire blue, his favourite colour.

"Ah-_choo!_" he sneezed suddenly, surprising the small canine.

"Come on, into bed with you. You've caught a cold," Andrew said firmly. Matt started to protest.

"But Uncle Andrew…." He whined. Andrew didn't say any more and ushered the small child into the house. Sandy trailed behind them, walking daintily on her small, petite paws. Just then, someone came pounding on the great oak door.

"Coming!" Andrew called as he tucked the disgruntled boy into bed. Sandy leaped into the bed to be with her young master. The old farmer opened the door to reveal….

Nearly half of the village, all of them waiting in front of his door. He stared at them blankly.

"Well? Can we go in?" Lesley asked impatiently. Andrew recovered and answered with a question of his own.

"May I know why all of you are here today?" he asked courteously.

"We're here to see Matt, of course!" Lesley retorted. Behind her, most of the villagers nodded in agreement. Andrew sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry, but unless you want him to catch a cold by coming out to meet you, you shouldn't ask him to come out," he objected.

"Well…." Lesley pondered her answer. Suddenly, she brightened up. "If he can't come out, we'll go in and see him!" she declared. Smiles lit up the villagers' faces.

"I suppose…." Andrew said reluctantly, pushing the door open to its fullest extent. The group of villagers entered with the force of a rampaging bull. Matt, who was snuggling comfortably in bed, shot up in surprise as the crowd.

"Hi Matt! We heard about your heroic deed today, so we came to congratulate you!" Lesley said brightly, adding sugar to her voice. The crowd behind her nodded enthusiastically and started showering praise onto the poor boy. Matt sighed, frustrated.

Won't they leave him alone? A red blush gradually crept up his face.

"Come on people, let him have some space," Andrew commanded imposingly. The crowd backed away a few steps. "Are you done yet?"

"No!" The crowd yelled and continued fussing on Matt. In desperation, Matt hid under the blankets, hoping to escape. Sandy did not help matters by jumping up and yanking the blankets off his face in her sharp teeth.

_Why do I have to go through this?_ He thought agonizingly as the villagers continued ranting about his bravery and such. _I'll get even with you, Karen!_

….

In a room that connected to the supermarket, Karen sneezed. "Did anyone think of me?" she asked herself as she wiped her nose.

….

Hello! So how was this chapter? Better, or worse? Review! Please oh please oh please!


	7. Chapter 7

There will be a lot of rude words in this chapter, so I think I had better warn you beforehand in case some of you readers do not want to read. I would like to thank DarklightZERO for the idea of the nightmare/dream.

_The flashback/dream will be in italic._

_**Matt's thoughts will be in bold and italic.**_

(This is only for the dream/nightmare/flashback)

….

**Dream of the Past**

_"So what if I want to continue drinking? It's none of your business, woman!" a man slurred, clearly very drunk. He swayed unsteadily where he stood._

_"We don't have enough money even to live, Jacob! How can you just take our precious money to buy liquor?" a woman, his wife, asked desperately. She had a pretty face that was spoilt by her frown. Her clothes were tattered and torn, caked with dirt and mud. The man swore and lashed out at her. A red mark appeared on her cheek where his hand had hit._

_Crying, she ran into another room of their dilapidated hut. Her sobs could be heard from where he stood. The man huffed and collapsed on the floor as the liquor he had been consuming took its toll._

_Unbeknownst to the two arguing adults, a small child, barely six, was watching the entire scene from a crack in the wall. He shook with fear when he saw his father slapping his mother._

_"Matt, you insolent little wretch, how dare you spy on us!" his mother's shrill voice came from the door. The child nearly jumped out of his skin. He hastily peeked out to see his father's condition. He sighed in relief when he confirmed that his father was still out cold._

_He turned around to face his mother. Her hardened brown eyes were rimmed with black rings from fatigue as well as lack of sleep. The red mark throbbed painfully on her cheek. In her hand was a tough stick. Lifting the stick above her head, she brought it down brutally on the boy. His cries of pain were ignored as she continued beating him mercilessly._

_Matt tried to bear the brunt of the attacks but he failed. The stick made its first sting on his skin, making him cry out in pain. A red mark appeared on his skin. Before his free hand could cover the stinging flesh, the stick came down again, this time on his free hand. _

_Again and again the stick assaulted him. His body was now covered in red welts. They hurt badly. A few tears squeezed their way out, no matter how hard Matt tried to stop it. A trickle of blood came down his arm where the stick had cut him._

_Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, his mother ceased beating him and left the room, her anger diminished. Matt crawled on his hands and knees onto a pile of dried grass, where he lay down, sobbing lightly. The rough, dry grass either brushed against the places where the stick had hit him or poked his wounds, hurting him even more._

"_**I know you're not angry at me, Mommy,**" he thought sadly as he ran a finger gently over one of his wounds, wincing slightly. "**Deep inside, I know that you love me very much, or at least I hope so. You only did this to relieve your stress. Yes, that must be it**," he consoled himself. Despite all this, he knew that she did not want him at all. She detested him, loathed him, ever since he came into the world, although not as much as his father does. She still retained a touch of humanity in her for her child. Both his parents only thought of him as another mouth to feed, another burden to them. It saddened Matt to know this. That night, like any other night, he cried himself to sleep, curling up into a ball as a feeble protection against the cold biting wind._

_"Hey there brute. Carry this pile of wood to Mr. Crane. And be quick about it!" Jacob snarled at his son, whom he considered a piece of filth. Matt rubbed his eyes sleepily and got up. "Hurry up there you idiot!"_

_"Got it," Matt grumbled as he tried to hoist the pile of wood onto his small shoulders. His muscles strained and screamed at his fruitless efforts to lift the heavy pile of wood._

_"Are you going, or do you want me ter whip yeh till yeh beg for mercy?" Jacob threatened. With a sour scowl on his face, Matt finally managed to pull the wood onto his shoulders, which sagged at the weight._

_"I'm going already!" Matt snapped before walking painfully towards Mr. Crane's house. His legs were no less painful than they were last night. The only consolation Matt had was that the blood had been cleaned off, although it was a very painful process._

_"Hello there boy. Put the wood there, okay?" a nasty-looking man leered at the small boy. Matt obeyed and felt a wave of relief as his burden was removed._

_"How much is it?" he sneered. _

_"Five dollars, please," Matt said sullenly as he massaged his sore shoulders. The man maintained his sneer._

_"It's too expensive. Why don't we…lower the price to…let's say, three dollars?" he suggested cunningly. Matt shook his head, too tired to retort._

_"No?" the man said dangerously. "Well…okay then." He rummaged about his huge pockets. "Oops." He said as he dropped five one-pound notes onto the ground. Matt bent down to collect them, sighing. Casually, the man stepped on his fingers. Matt yelled in pain as his fingers remained trapped under the man's foot. Raucous laughter could be heard from above. Scowling, Matt tried to move to a more comfortable position as long as the man decided to keep his foot there._

_The man smirked; he enjoyed seeing people suffer. He watched the pitiful form of Matt adjusting his position. Without warning, he twisted his foot. Matt's fingers were twisted painfully as well. Matt could not conceal a scream of agony as his hand was turned too far to the side. A twisted smile formed on the man's pasty face._

_"You may go now," he said dismissively, lifting his foot off Matt's crushed fingers. Matt cradled his hand protectively after picking up the money. He scuttled away without uttering any more words._

_Back at home, his father stormed at him. "Why didn't you get that man to pay more, you wretch?" he screamed. Matt remained mute. In anger, Jacob started flaying Matt with a whip. The whip licked Matt's already crushed fingers, drawing blood. Matt uttered a piercing scream. Instantly, Jacob placed a hand over his son's mouth._

_"Quiet, you brute. One more sound, and I'll beat you up till you won't recognize yourself!" he threatened. Matt bit his hand defiantly and ran off into the forest nearby, ignoring his father's shouts. Wiping his tears away with his hand (not the one already hurt), he sat down under the comforting shade of a huge banyan tree. He knew that he would be severely punished for daring to go against his father._

_He leaned back onto the trunk, still sobbing lightly. "Oh God, why must I livelike this?" he cried in despair. Several glistening drops of tears traveled down the boy's face. He felt like he wanted to die, die and leave this wretched world behind._

_Suddenly, he stood up. "I'll run away," he proclaimed to the air. "But I will waituntil I am ready and able to be independent before doing so."_

_With that, he walked slowly back home. The owls and other night-hunters had come out by the time he saw the silhouette of his home. He went up the path slowly and hesitantly, knowing what awaited him behind the door._

_He pushed the door open slowly so as to not make any noise. He tiptoed in then proceeded to push the door shut._

_"There's no need to do that, boy," an unpleasant voice drawled from the shadows. Matt could distinctly smell the reek of liquor and tobacco in the room. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Come here."_

_Very reluctantly, Matt walked over to the person enveloped in shadow. A firm hand gripped his shoulder and squeezed it, hard. Matt yelled and instantly began to thrash about. This angered the man enough for him to step into the dim light. It showed his father, his messy black hair unkempt and his expression resembled a lunatic's. Without another word, he started hitting his son. Matt ducked and dodged instinctively; his reflexes were good thanks to years of undergoing this sort of treatment. Therefore, his father's punches slid to the side or hit empty air._

_This made Jacob furious. "You want to fight, lad? I'll fight you!" he snarled, spit flying from his mouth. He then lifted the table above his head and aimed it at Matt. Matt stood rooted to the spot, his eyes trained on the table. Just then, his mother appeared._

_"Don't waste that table, Jacob. We don't have the money to buy a new one," she said tiredly. The man turned his attention at his wife._

_"Don't interfere, Janette. This boy needs a beating, and he's going to get one."_

_"Well, not with that table!"_

_"And may I ask you why not, lady? This is no business of yours!"_

_"I told you, we don't have money! If you buy a new table, you can throw the old one at him if you want!"_

_"Why don't you love me, Mommy, Daddy? I've seen other children with their parents. They were so happy," Matt interjected. Jacob growled, dropped the table and advanced on the poor, terrified boy._

_"You want us to love you, boy?" he said sweetly, with a dangerous hint to it. Matt nodded, backing away from him. Jacob's expression changed from one dripping with false sweetness to one of absolute anger in the blink of an eye._

_"Just forget it!" he yelled. Matt couldn't help a few tears leaking out. He brushed them away quickly. Crying would not lessen the tense situation._

_"At least let me be free," he whispered._

_"Jacob, your son has done nothing wrong. Let him go," Janette pleaded. The man turned to her._

_"Let him go, Janette? He's been nothing but trouble for us. Might as well get rid of him."_

_Janette was horrified. She looked straight into her husband's eyes. They portrayed nothing but craziness and madness. "Are you mad, Jacob? He is your son! Your flesh and blood!" she tried to reason with him. Jacob dismissed it._

"Another word, woman, and you'll be sorry," he said in a low voice. She ignored it and stood in front of Matt, protecting him from harm. In a fury, her husband picked the table up and threw it at her. One of the legs hit her head. In horror, Matt watched his mother fall down, slowly, onto the floor. There she lay motionless, and probably lifeless too.

_"Mommy…." He whimpered, crawling closer to his mother. Jacob kicked him in the ribs, making him fly across the room._

_"Stay away from her!" Jacob yelled. Ignoring his father, Matt got up with some difficulty and started walking towards the lifeless form of his mother. In frustration, Jacob picked him up bodily and threw him outside. "You wanted to go away, right? Well, get out and STAY OUT!"_

_"Jacob, don't. Please," Janette's weak voice could be heard from inside._

_"I don't care, woman. This piece of filth has burdened us for six whole years. It's time he learned to fend for himself," Jacob retorted rudely._

_"He's your son!"_

_"Hell with that! Who cares who he is?" _

_"It's okay, Mommy and Daddy. I'll go away," Matt piped up, hoping to end the fight._

_"No, Matt! You're too young! You'll die out there!" Janette cried desperately, appearing at the door. The part where the leg of the table had struck was cut open and bleeding badly, partly obscuring her vision, but she ignored it._

_"Who cares? For the last time, Janette let him go!"_

_Matt's anger was riled up. "Fine!_ _Maybe I'll find a better place to live than in this_ _madhouse, anyway,__" he retorted before melting into the darkness. **I guess I can't wait until I can be independent after all…**_

_"Matt!" his mother screamed before the door was slammed. He could hear her cry for many miles, the sound vibrating in his head, non-stop, torturing him_….

….

"Matt! Wake up, lad!" Andrew said as he shook the boy awake. Matt had been twitching and muttering in his sleep for the last ten minutes, and Andrew was getting worried. Beads of perspiration stood out against the boy's pale face. Finally, Matt opened his eyes, shaking violently.

"What's wrong?" Andrew asked, concerned.

"N-Nothing. J-Just a n-nightmare," Matt stammered. He wiped his sweat away and stood up shakily. Andrew watched him with concern. Matt cracked a small smile and headed to the bathroom to get changed.

"If you're really okay I'll be working on the farm, alright? Just holler if anything's wrong." The farmer called from the oak door. He listened intently for an answer. Receiving none, he shrugged and went of to work, happily accompanied by Frisky. Sandy was lying down in a doghouse nearby.

Inside the bathroom, Matt quickly cleansed his sweat-drenched body and put on fresh clothes. He still shivered whenever he recalled his dream. It had been more of a nightmare. Reliving his past was the last thing he wanted to do. Going to the kitchen, he picked up to slices of bread and started to smear butter on one of the pieces. His hand shook so badly that he didn't dare to use a knife.

After a simple breakfast, Matt ventured outside, where he was greeted enthusiastically by a very energetic puppy that went by the name of Sandy.

"Matt, you look a little pale. I think you should stay in bed today," Andrew called from the midst of a patch of sweet potatoes, ripe enough to harvest. Just then, Mary appeared, looking very shy and nervous. In her small arms were several heavy-looking books. She just stood there, adjusting her spectacles from time to time.

"Hi Mary," Matt said automatically. Mary nodded and stared down at her shoes, suddenly growing interested in them. Andrew grinned before returning to his patch of vegetables. Still the two children faced each other.

"Mary, could you help me collect the eggs in the coop?" he suggested, seeing that neither Matt nor Mary made any move to start a conversation.

"Are you going to help me?" Mary asked shyly. Matt nodded and headed off to the chicken coop.

"Why don't you put your books down first? They look very heavy."

"Oh, okay. I'll just put these on the table inside, okay? You can read them if you want."

Matt nodded nonchalantly as he opened the door for her. Mary placed the books down on the table carefully as if it were pieces of valuable treasure. _It probably is to her,_ Matt reflected. _What a bookworm._

"I'm done, Matt. Shall we go?" she asked, jerking Matt out of his reverie. Matt nodded briefly before heading out towards the chicken coop. He could hear chickens clucking noisily inside as he and Mary neared the feather-covered coop.

"Ladies first," Matt said as he held the door open, sending Mary into fits of giggles. A chicken flew into her face, making her scream in surprise.

"Ooh," she said woozily before falling onto the ground in a faint. Matt stared at her incredulously. Fainted because of a chicken? Okay, he wasn't really fond of them when they had chased him, but this was a _single chicken_! How could she be afraid of it?

"Wake up, Mary," he called as he shook her gently. When that didn't work, he braced himself and slapped her, softly. _That_ woke her up.

"What -" she started to say then she remembered what happened. She looked around anxiously but was unable to identify the chicken. "Whatever. Shall we collect the eggs now?" Matt nodded and began picking up eggs scattered around the coop. The chickens clucked and moved away in fright whenever Matt or Mary came in the way. They ignored the chickens and continued collecting the eggs. Sharing the weight of an egg-laden basket between them, Matt and Mary trudged up the grassy field to Andrew, who was grooming Star.

"Uncle Andrew! We got the eggs for you!" Mary called proudly. Andrew beamed as he inspected the basket.

"My, my. So many eggs!" he exclaimed, pleased. "Why don't you two go into the house? And Matt, weren't you supposed to be in bed?" he said, frowning.

"Yes Uncle Andrew," Matt said meekly and went into the house. Mary followed him. Reluctantly, he clambered into his bed.

"Do you want to read a book?" Mary asked innocently as she handed him a book that must be about, say, 100 pages thick. Matt stared at it in disbelief.

"You want me to read that?" he gawked. Mary nodded enthusiastically.

"Why not? That's book's interesting. There's this man called Conrad…." She started.

"Okay, okay, I get the message. I'll read it," Matt sighed. He opened the book to page one, which pleased Mary greatly. Matt didn't notice the words. He only registered a dim black blur on a yellowing sheet of paper. In front of his eyes, the tragic nightmare he had had the previous night played itself, over and over again….

….

I know this one is very dark, but this is the best I could do. I mean, Matt can't run away from home if he was happy, right? Review, review, REVIEW! And thanks again to DarklightZERO for the idea. Oh, and I don't know anything about pounds, so I dare not add in more about that currency.


	8. Chapter 8

This chapter is written for you readers out there, but especially coolzonegurl. Happy birthday, friend!

PS: Is September in Autumn? I don't know.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harvest Moon. Any original characters are mine, however.

**Birthday**

Matt woke up feeling elated. Today was his birthday, if he was not mistaken. He checked the calendar to be sure. There. The Eighth of Autumn. His happiness dimmed somewhat when he remembered that no one will celebrate this special day with him. He shrugged it off, reminding himself that his parents never celebrated it anyway. _His parents_. Only the mere thought of them brought a bitter pang to his heart.

"Good morning Matt," Andrew called from the kitchen, where he had been preparing pancakes for breakfast. He had watched Matt's antics with the corner of his eye ever since Matt had jumped out of bed, for it seemed so out of character for him.

"Good morning Uncle Andrew!" Matt replied cheerfully. He hummed a random tune as he traipsed to the bathroom. Andrew watched him carefully.

"Hmm…."

….

"I'll be playing around the farm, okay Uncle Andrew? I don't want to go out today," Matt explained to the farmer. The farmer agreed.

"Sure, no problem. Do you want to learn a little bit about farming?"

"Really? You'll teach me?" Matt asked disbelievingly. Andrew nodded. Matt whooped and started eating his breakfast with wolf-like hunger.

"Calm down lad, there's no hurry," Andrew said, chuckling lightly. Matt continued wolfing down his food anyway.

_What a nice birthday gift from Uncle Andrew,_ he thought happily. Then it dawned on him that the latter didn't know about his birthday. _Oh well, I consider it a birthday present anyway._

Less than five minutes later, the pancakes on Matt's plate had been cleaned off, a record-breaking stance for him. He stood up energetically. "I'm ready Uncle Andrew!"

"Come on then, off to the fields!" Uncle Andrew said, amused.

Hand in hand, the old farmer and the young boy walked towards the first field of spinach, ready to be harvested. They stood out fresh and green against the dull brown soil. Drops of shiny morning dew still clung onto the leaves.

"Okay, this is how you harvest the plants…."

….

By the afternoon, Andrew had taught Matt all he needed to know to run a farm. He could brush Star and the sheep almost as well as he can. He was too tiny to brush the cows, though.

Matt had enjoyed farming immensely, especially sowing the seeds and reaping the harvest. It gave him a sense of contentment to know that the seeds he had planted would one day be harvested and sold for profit.

There are still the chickens to be reckoned with, though. Matt had scurried about, bringing sacks of chicken feed to put into the feedboxes only to be followed eagerly by a mob of hens, with a cockerel standing proudly near the feedboxes. They flapped about in hopes of getting their supply of food. This annoyed Matt. He hurried to finish his task and ran out of the coop, covered in feathers shed by the hens.

"I'll play in the fields, okay Uncle Andrew?" Matt called from the door of the coop. Andrew gave him a thumbs-up from a patch of carrots. Matt ran off to the edge of the field where a clear river ran, bubbling merrily. He squatted down there and watched vibrantly coloured fish swim by. The dull coloured ones swam a little closer to the bottom of the stream.

Matt felt bored. He idly traced the words 'Happy Birthday, Matt' in the sand with his finger. He looked at the words in the sand with longing. If only someone would celebrate with him!

Standing up, he brushed sand off his hands and shorts. Matt walked slowly to where Andrew stood, leaning on a hoe, looking at his beloved crops and animals. Star came up and nuzzled Matt's ear, making him giggle in delight. His laughter roused Andrew from whatever he had been thinking about.

"I think I'll go to the beach for a while, okay?" Matt asked. Andrew nodded.

"Fine by me. I'll go inspect the farm and pull up unwanted weeds."

Matt skipped off happily in the direction of the inn. Meanwhile, Andrew turned his back on the child and went over the farm, cutting or uprooting the occasional weed. Frisky trotted along faithfully alongside his master, sniffing about and spotting one or two moles.

Andrew whistled to his horse. Star, who was trotting around the barn, came to him at a gallop. She nuzzled him for a moment. Andrew rubbed her velvet nose gently. She neighed in pleasure and cantered off for a drink at the stream. Andrew followed her, hoping to ride on her back. It was then he spied some words that were slightly blurred. Squinting, he managed to make out the words 'apy B r hday Matt' in the sand. The rest were beyond recognition.

"So today is young Matt's birthday," he muttered to himself.

….

Matt played by the seaside, collecting pretty seashells and arranged them in a circle. He used pebbles to inscribe the words 'Happy Birthday' on the golden sand within the circle.

"Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me," he hummed under his breath.

"What are you doing, Matt?" Zack came up to Matt, who was crouching on the beach. Hastily, the boy wiped the words with his hand. The words blended into the sand, lost forever. Zack peered over Matt's shoulder to see a circle of beautiful seashells.

"What are you doing?" he repeated. Matt shook his head mutely. He knew Zack because the muscular man often came round to Holly Farm at five daily, excluding public holidays. Zack smiled knowingly and entered his house, which was conveniently located on Mineral Beach. Unknown the Matt, he slipped out several minutes later, holding a package in his hands.

Matt sat down on the sand, watching the calm sea. The fringe of the waves occasionally touch his feet and tickled them. The waves rolled up and down, roaring. All too soon, the sun had set and it was dusk. Sighing, Matt stood up and proceeded to go home.

It was dark by the time he stepped foot into the farmhouse. Surprisingly, the lights were turned off. Matt frowned. It wasn't like Andrew to leave the lights off after dusk. Fumbling around, he reached for the switch. He got the shock of his life when he saw what seemed to be the entire village in the house, with Andrew in front of them.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to Matt, happy birthday to you!" they chanted then clapped so thunderously that Matt was surprised that the roof remained intact. Tears welled up in his eyes in happiness. At that moment, the five girls burst out of the crowd and thrust packages at him. The wrapping paper was vibrantly coloured and very attractive.

"Happy birthday Matt! Here's you're present!" Ann and Popuri squealed.

"This is for you, Matt. I hope you like it," Karen said with a smile on her face.

"Um…Matt, this is my present. Please accept it," Elli said shyly.

"I didn't know what to give you, so I am giving you a book," Mary explained as she placed a red-covered book into Matt's arms.

Matt looked at the adults, who were looking at him expectantly.

"Go on, unwrap our presents," Ann urged. Matt obeyed and opened a blue wrapped package first. In it was a huge slice of Cheese Fondue, probably from Ann. Matt shot her a grateful smile before unwrapping the second one, which was slightly bigger. On a card that was included with the package, the words 'Happy Birthday, from Karen' were written.

Matt opened it with care, not wanting to tear the fragile wrapper. Inside it was….

A quaint silver locket. Matt pried it open with shaking fingers. The picture of the bird singing proudly on the branch of a tree greeted him.

"Do you like it?" Karen asked tentatively. Matt's face broke into a grin.

"Of course I do!" he said sincerely. Gratefulness was also mirrored in his sad brown eyes. He gazed at the locket fondly and clasped it firmly in his hand.

"Why don't you open mine?" Mary suggested. Matt agreed and opened a colourfully wrapped package that had the word 'Mary' printed on it in big block letters. It revealed a necklace that was, sadly, a fluorescent pink.

Seeing Matt's dumbfounded look, Mary hastened to explain. "To go with the locket Karen gave you."

"Here, let me help you," Popuri said. Wordlessly, Matt complied. Popuri picked the locket out of Matt's palm and slid it down the necklace. She then came up to Matt and closed the clasp. She squealed, making Matt flinch.

"Oops. Sorry, Matt! But this looks good on you!"

"I have to agree," Ann said.

"Even though pink is not an appropriate colour for a boy," Karen interjected.

"Shall I take that as am insult?" Mary raised an eyebrow. No one answered.

"Thanks!" Matt said, oblivious to the girls' conversation. "I'll open this next," he decided as he opened a curiously cylindrical package. The word 'El' was printed in small letters on one side. Matt deduced it to be Elli's, especially by the way she was looking at him expectantly.

Finally, he pulled off the remaining masking tape. A silver flute rolled out and rested on his lap. He stared at it, speechless.

"Don't you like it?" Elli asked mournfully. She was crestfallen.

"O-Of course I do, Elli! I just that I've never seen one close up before, much less own one," Matt mumbled, fascinated by the flashing silver every time he turned the flute round in his hand. Elli's grinned.

"I'm glad you like it. I can teach you if you want."

"Sure! Thank Elli."

"Quick, open mine!" Popuri said, panicking, for what reason Matt couldn't fathom. The last box was the biggest next to Ann's. It was shocking pink (not surprising since it's Popuri's gift) and had holes on the sides. Curiously, he opened the top of the box (it wasn't wrapped).

A fluffy yellow ball greeted him with barely heard cheeps. Two black eyes looked up at him, its beak still small. Matt cooed adoringly. So did the others.

"Aww, it's a chick!" Ann squealed. "So cute!" The others echoed likewise. Matt held the miniature chick in his cupped hands, where it wobbled unsteadily, trying to regain balance.

"I think I'll call you snow," he said. The girls, with the exception of Popuri, stared at him incredulously.

"He's yellow, Matt, not white," Karen pointed out sarcastically. Matt ignored the sarcasm and directed a question to Popuri.

"It will be white when it grows up to be a hen, right Popuri?" Popuri nodded. Karen grumbled to herself, knowing when she was beaten.

"Thanks you all. This is the best birthday I've ever had," Matt whispered with bright eyes. Andrew clucked.

"It's not over yet, lad. What about the birthday cake?" Matt stared at him in disbelief. Several villagers chuckled at his expression.

"Come on, let's start," the Mayor announced. "Light the candles, someone."

Six pink and white candles were placed on a cake, probably made by Doug. The candles were lit, giving off a bright, calming hue of orange. Matt gazed at it in delight. He never had a birthday cake before.

"Now blow the candles, Matt," Andrew said cheerfully. The boy took a deep breath, prepared himself and blew. The candlelight was extinguished in one blow.

"Make a wish…."

_I wish_….Matt thought with his eyes closed and hands clasped together. The villagers cheered loudly. Steeling himself, he took the knife handed over by Andrew and cut the first slice of the cream-coated cake with strawberries on top. He gave the first slice to Andrew.

"Thank you Uncle Andrew," he whispered happily. Andrew smiled comfortingly down at the happy boy.

"You're very welcome, lad."

The second piece went to the Mayor. "Thank you," Matt said. The Mayor grinned and took a huge bite from the cake, smearing his pasty face with white cream. Trying not to flinch, Matt cut more slices and handed them around.

….

It was late when Andrew and Matt bid the villagers goodnight. They waved madly until the last villager was out of sight.

"Goodnight Matt," Popuri yawned as she headed home. "It was a nice party."

"Yeah, have another one next year! There are too few parties in Mineral Town as it is," Karen added. Beside her, Ann nodded fervently. Elli and Mary had already gone home after a few departing words.

….

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Andrew asked softly. Matt beamed.

"It was the best day of my life," he declared. _And I wish it will go on forever_….

….

So how was it? I tried my best to make it nice, but somehow it seems that I had left out something. Oh well. Had fun? Enjoy, coolzonegurl! Happy Birthday!


	9. Chapter 9

Hello! This is the very last chapter for this story, I hope you have enjoyed it. I would like to say thank you to all those who have reviewed, the reviews were, and still are, greatly appreciated.

**Disclaimer:** Of course, I do not own Harvest Moon. I only own the original characters and my plot. That is all.

….

**Going Away**

Andrew looked down lovingly at the sleeping form of Matt, who was curled up beneath the blankets. He glanced at the peaceful face lying on the pillow, half obscured by jet-black hair.

The old farmer sighed. _It's tough, having to give you up, you know? But it is essential for your future. I wouldn't want you to have a bleak future just because of me._ Groaning softly, he wrenched his gaze from the sleeping boy to the cuckoo clock in the living room. It read four thirty in the morning. _Too early. I'll tell him when he wakes up,_ Andrew decided. Yawning, he lay back in bed, a telegram clutched in his fist.

….

Matt woke up as usual, listening to the joyful chirrup of birds and other farm animals. Rubbing his eyes sleepily, he turned around to see Andrew snoring softly beside him. Just then, Andrew shifted his position to a more comfortable spot. Hearing the soft scrunching of paper, Matt scoured the bed to find a piece of paper wedged firmly in the farmer's hand. Try as he might, he could not pull it out and contented himself with shaking the man awake.

"What?" Andrew said, rolling to the side of the bed. "Okay, okay, I'm up already. Why don't you change while I prepare some breakfast for the both of us?" Matt nodded happily. With a huge grin plastered on his face, he traipsed off to the bathroom with a towel and a change of clothes.

Andrew watched the boy wistfully. Soon the source of long-lost joy and happiness will be gone, far away to the heart of the city, perhaps never to return here except for short visits, like what his own son had done. Sighing heavily, he got out of bed, folded the blankets neatly and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

A delicious smell of baked corn greeted Matt as he emerged from the bathroom, his hair still dripping wet. He sniffed the odours circulating around the house with pleasure.

"Are we having baked corn today, Uncle Andrew?" he enquired eagerly as he took his seat at the table.

"Yes," Andrew replied gruffly. Matt frowned. It wasn't like him to answer in such a tone.

"Is anything wrong, Uncle Andrew?"

The person mentioned shifted his gaze uneasily from the inquisitive boy. "Eat your breakfast, lad. It will be cold soon," he muttered as he pushed a plate of baked corn towards Matt.

Still Matt stared at him. The normal cheery look Andrew wore was gone today. So was the merry twinkle in his eyes. His mouth was twisted into a frown. Matt suspected something serious. The two ate the baked corn in total silence. Andrew seemed to eat his without really tasting it.

After a very gloomy breakfast, Andrew rose to clear the table. Matt got up to go out and play but he was stopped by the farmer.

"Stay there Matt," he said softly. "There is something I need to tell you." Puzzled, Matt complied. Andrew washed the plates quickly and sat down on the chair opposing Matt's.

"There's something you need to know," he muttered, not taking his eyes off the table. He took a deep breath and started. "My son and his wife had decided to allow you to live with them in the city." Matt nodded to show that he understood.

"Not only that, but since enrollment into a school there requires them to sign papers as your parents or guardians, they…they adopted you as their own son," he said heavily. Matt's eyes widened.

"Um…I'm sorry Uncle Andrew, but what does it matter if they adopted me?" Matt asked politely.

"They will have custody of you legally. You may consider them your surrogate parents."

"So that means…." Matt said slowly, "you're my grandfather now?"

Andrew nodded, unable to conceal the hint of pride and happiness on his face.

Matt smiled widely. "Grandfather," he whispered. He liked that word. He had been itching to call Andrew that since the man took him here to Mineral Town, since he felt at home. Finally, his wish had come true.

Andrew turned away from the boy. His eyes were slightly wet. He had wished and wished for a grandchild, and now he had one. It was one of the happiest moments in his life. "Grandson," he muttered.

"Anyway, you will have to go to school. And because of that …you have to leave Mineral Town," Andrew said. He watched the boy's reaction carefully.

Matt didn't know what he wanted to do. Mixed feelings coursed through his body, leaving him in confusion. Happiness at finally having a good family, or at least he hoped so, and a great sorrow at having to leave this town that he had grown to love. He had a sudden urge to say that he didn't want to go, he wanted to stay here with Andrew and his newfound friends.

As if reading the boy's thoughts, Andrew spoke up. "It's for your own good, son. You can have a bright future ahead of you. Don't ruin your only chance just because you want to remain with this old man." Matt started to protest but Andrew held up his hand, signaling Matt to halt. He then continued his speech.

"You can always see the folks of Mineral Town when you grow up with a promising career. The villagers will welcome you with open arms," he said proudly as he stroked his beard, which was rapidly growing white.

Matt slumped into his chair, all the fight gone out of him. He knew that he was fighting a losing battle. He sighed, resigning himself to his fate. They _had_ to take him away just when he began to fit in happily in a new home.

"When do I have to leave?" he asked instead, trying very hard to stop tears from falling down his cheeks.

"This afternoon. You will reach the city by nightfall. Your dad - my son that is – will be waiting at the dock with his wife."

"I guess I'll have to pack then."

Andrew shook his head. "No, I will do it. Why don't you run off and say your goodbyes to those friends of yours? I'm sure they want to see you again before you leave."

Nodding his head, Matt slipped off his chair and pulled the handle of the great oak door inwards. The door swung open to allow him exit. Instead of going to visit his friends, he ran in the direction of the Goddess Pond, where he sat near the water's edge. He poked a finger into the water, watching the ripples thoughtfully.

"Hey Matt," a sift voice chided behind him. Popuri sat down beside him, gathering her skirt up before doing so. Ann came up next, skipping up the steps in a very un-girlish way. Well, that's Ann for you. Always pretending to be a boy.

"We've heard," Ann said, placing a gentle hand on Matt's shoulder. He picked up a stone and plopped it into the water. The crystal clear water was distorted for a moment before returning to its former splendour.

"I'm sorry Matt." That was Popuri. She had a sad smile on her face as she crouched near him and twirled the water with a stick.

"I suppose I won't be seeing you for a few years then," Karen's melodious voice floated over from the bottom of the stairs that were carved into the ground. "I'll miss you. Especially this little bird here," she teased as she stroked the rich plume of a very familiar looking bird with a blue crest. Matt smiled as she stretched out his finger towards it, inviting it to come down. With a happy chirrup, it complied and soared down, landing gracefully onto his finger. Matt grinned and started stroking its back. It crooned in satisfaction.

"Sometimes I can't see the difference between this bird and a cat," Matt joked. "Look at the way it is brushing against my hand! I thought only cats do that." He then sobered up, staring at the waterfall, the water cascading down in gallons per second, releasing a tremendous roar and rumble in the process.

"I'll miss you all," he blurted suddenly, startling the girls. "You five girls are the only friends I ever had."

Ann wore a look of sorrow as she placed an arm across his shoulders. Popuri patted his back gently while the bird had climbed up to his shoulder and was now pecking affectionately at his ear. Karen simply stared at him, an I-don't-care-ish look pasted on her face.

"I suppose…." She grumbled, seeing that no one was paying the slightest attention to her.

Popuri stood up then rummaged about in her pockets, searching for something. "Where is it?" she muttered. Her eyes brightened as her fingers brushed against what she was looking for. "Ah yes, here it is…."

She pulled it out of her voluminous skirt pocket. Matt stared at the item in her hand. It was a locket in the shape of a small golden egg.

"What's this?" he asked dubiously. If she was trying to cheer him up, she was doing a very bad job of it.

Popuri giggled. "It's a lucky charm, silly. Wear it on your necklace at all times. It should bring you luck. It is mine, but I'll give it to you as a parting gift."

Matt smiled gratefully. "Thanks a lot Popuri. I'll cherish it, always." He slipped it onto his necklace and clicked the clasp into place. "There." The golden egg and the birthday locket hung side by side on the pink chain.

Karen stood up and brushed her shorts. "Why don't we go to the farm? If Uncle Andrew is packing your stuff, he won't have enough time to tend to his farm before dusk approaches."

He inclined his head in agreement. "Yeah, I guess we could go help Grandfather." Perplexed at the shocked looks the girls gave him, she popped a question.

"What's wrong? Did my tongue slip?"

Ann shook her head slowly, still dazed. "N-No, but did I hear right? Did you call Uncle Andrew Grandfather?" At Matt's nod, she sat down onto the ground again with a flop, breathless.

"So that means…." Karen trailed off, her eyes wide. Matt nodded yet again. "Oh."

"Oh what Karen?" Popuri, as dense as ever, asked innocently. Karen turned around to stare at the pink-haired girl.

"Can't you make head or tail of this?" she asked exasperatedly. Popuri shook her head. Karen sighed before launching her explanation. "What do you call your mom's father?"

"I don't know," Popuri muttered, frowning. "I've never seen him."

"Fine. Your dad's father then?"

Popuri was taken aback. The abrupt mention of her father left her in utter shock. "D-Dad?" she stammered. Tears started to fill her eyes. Turning away, she sighed. "I don't know. You do know that my dad travels a lot, don't you? I've never seen his father either," she sniffed.

The blonde was shocked, realizing that she had touched a nerve. "I'm sorry, Popuri!" she wailed. "I forgot."

"It's okay," Popuri mumbled. "You still haven't told me the reason you two freaked out though," she added, brightening up instantly. Matt shuddered. Her sudden change in moods can be very unnerving.

Karen sighed. "Matt called Uncle Andrew Grandfather, Popuri. What do you think that means?"

"Um…nothing special."

"No! The only reason you call a person Grandfather is that he's related to you," Karen expressed each word with care.

Popuri's eyes grew wide. "So you mean…Uncle Andrew is…."

Ann and Karen awaited her understanding impatiently.

"So that must mean that Uncle Andrew is Matt's cousin!" she exclaimed happily. Her two girlfriends sweatdropped at her answer. Both shook their heads sadly, wondering how they had managed to withstand her for five years without going insane.

"No, no, no! Uncle Andrew is now Matt's grandfather, so that could only mean that his son had adopted Matt!" Ann screamed in frustration. Popuri wasted no time in plugging her ears with her hands. When the vibrating scream faded away, she released the tight clamp on her ears with a sigh.

""His son? Adopted?" Popuri asked innocently, blinking her eyelashes. Groaning, Karen fell onto the ground softly, cushioned by the lush grass.

"Forget it. You coming or not?" she snapped. Popuri started and nodded, watching the blonde warily. "Come on then."

Together, the four children descended the stairs and headed off to the farm. True enough, the ripe harvest remained unpicked on the plants. Matt could distinctly hear the cattle mooing hungrily for their daily supply of hay. The chickens were all right because they had been let out to roam freely about the farm and to find their own food.

Matt approached the door with growing dread. He could not bear the sight of his belongings standing in the middle of the hall, ready for travel. Andrew's voice issued from the bedroom.

"Back already Matt? Eat the lunch I have prepared for you on the table then we must go to the pier to await the ship."

Matt's shoulders slumped as he sat down on the very same seat he sat on earlier. It was then that he remembered the three awkward looking girls, standing near the door.

"We have company Grandfather!" he hollered. Not long after, Andrew's ruffled head poked out of the door to the bedroom.

"Why, so we have," he exclaimed, surprised. "Sit, girls. I will prepare some fried rice for you."

"Thank you Uncle Andrew!" they chorused as they took their places around the table. Not long after, a huge pile of steaming fried rice sat in the middle of the table. Andrew divided it into four equal portions, since Matt already had his share. After a very subdued meal, Andrew accompanied Matt to the dock, where a majestic ship was, awaiting the moment of departure.

The old farmer gave Matt a gentle push. "Go on, lad," he whispered encouragingly. Matt gulped before taking a step forwards. His luggage was carried by Zack and a man whose name Matt didn't know, except that he loves photography.

In no time at all, Matt was aboard the ship, waving madly at the villagers he was leaving behind. Matt slid down the side of the ship as soon as they were out of sight, sobbing hysterically. Popuri…Ann…Mary…Karen…Elli…all of their images coursed through his mind. Although they do not share the same parents, Matt knew, deep inside, that they were all a family, one that he was a part of…a part of his true family.

….

…How was it? I hope it's good, I want to leave a good impression on you readers. Okay, now back to announcements.

**Announcement 1: **

**Special thanks to….**

Dark Nemesis 7

rosebabykiss

DarklightZERO

Tiger-Cub684

Ksim3000

anominus

StarrNight

**For using up some of their precious time to send a review to me concerning this lousy story.**

**Announcement 2:**

**I've decided to take a poll: to write a sequel or to stop the story altogether. For those who want a sequel, send in a review with the word 'sequel'. As for those who wish for this boring story to end, type 'no sequel' in your review and send it to me. I will check up on this at the end of this month. This will give you all ample time to consider your answer. If you're wondering why I am stretching the deadline so far, it's because I have a lot of assignments to complete so I will not be able to write a sequel to this story before I hand them in anyway.**

**Bye you readers, I hope you enjoyed my humble story!**


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